Chapter 3
Terry strained to keep his focus on his rounds but couldn't. His thoughts kept returning to his mother and brother. He was discovered and that could mean trouble. They couldn't exactly keep Linda in the cave forever and murder was out of the question so what could they do if she didn't want to keep her mouth shut? Sure he could threaten her but what good would it do after she talked? The damage would be done by then. Damage to himself as well as his family. Sure his brother idolized his alterego but his mother was more wishy-washy on the subject of Batman. At times she was on his side but she was so quick to turn her back on the dark knight... What would she do when she found out her son had turned to vigilantism? And God he didn't even want to think about the media frenzy it would cause for them.
'Woah, Ter, Calm down. Who says she is gonna talk? One thing at a time....' He assured himself best he could. His concern for his future remained but he managed to keep it controlled as he circled the city.
"What are you going to do with me...?"
Bruce looked up to her as he finished cleaning her bloodied arm. "What exactly do you think we are going to do? We aren't going to hand you over to the police. We don't know wether or not you'll talk after all." He said darkly, noting the slightly indignant look on her face. "Even if you aren't going to talk, I don't feel I should turn you out until I know for certain you are keeping this under wraps."
"I know how to keep secrets!" She shouted in frusteration. "I kept my dads I can keep yours!"
"Oh really...?" Bruce asked, the ghost of a smile playing across his face for the first time in awhile.
".... I only said he had a secret... I didn't say what it is." She defended herself to the best of her ability. She lowered her head, not daring to look him in the eye.
Bruce continued to watch her, trying to figure out who she related to of the four young people he'd dealt with in his life. The fact she was a girl led to the obvious comparison with Barbara Gordon but that didn't seem to fit to well. All he had to do was know who her feelings were most like and he would be able to figure her out. Running through his memory it wasn't to hard to pin point the personality type of Tim Drake. The similer background made it painfully obvious to him. It also made it obvious that she would probobly be difficult to communicate with. His stomache knotted as he remembered once more the others who had come across his cave, especially the one he'd selected as most like her and his punishment for taking the mantle of Robin at the hands of the Joker.
"Bruce." Terry's voice crackled on the com-link, distracting him from his current worries. "How're things going back there?" His concern was evident. He knew every reason Terry would be worried. Family, friends and Bruce himself were his primary concerns. Not that Terry was entirely selfless, he just knew how precious the people you know in life truely are after he lost his father.
"Things are going fine." He replied, stepping away from Linda for some privacy. "Terry, do you remember what happened when you found the cave?" He asked grimly.
"How could I forget..." Terry muttered a sarcastic reply. "I became... Well you in a way." He said after a moment, realizing Bruce wanted a more specific answer.
"Do you realize thats been the pattern for the people who find this place?"
It took Terry a moment to realize what Bruce was talking about. "Bruce, Max broke the pattern, remember? She found out and she hasn't become Batgirl or anything like that."
"She keeps trying to get involved though." The older man reminded him in a dark tone. "Terry, once someone finds out something like this they either want to talk or get in on the action."
"They probobly wanted to get in because you always kept them close so they couldn't tell." Terry reasoned, trying to be logical about the latest crisis in his life as he flew through Gotham's sky.
"I'll talk to you when you get back, Terry." Bruce said in slight exhasperation. Talking to Terry through a com-link felt like talking to a brick wall at times. Sometimes he absolutely had to talk face to face with someone to really get what they were saying. Bruce was just glad that there was rarely an even that was so important that it did have to wait for Terry to get back.
"Hey, you didn't answer. I don't care about what you won't do about me, I care what you will do." Bruce turned to see Linda, still sitting on the table but now scowling. Bruce wasn't suprised to see this. He had a feeling that once she got over her innitial shock she would quickly slip into the attitude of any other kid from the slums.
"Just wait, Linda." Bruce said, allowing her imagination to run through the possibilities. As he went to the computer again, leaving Ace to gaurd her.
Hours later Linda was fighting a losing battle to stay awake when she heard the sound of engines. He was back. Sitting up, clutching the course, wool blanket Bruce had given her tightly she watched the black figure jump out of the jet. He pulled the mask back as he approached Bruce. Linda could only watch the two talk, not daring to try and listen in as Ace let out a low warning growl.
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Author's rant: I love reveiws really. I especially like when people tell me what they'd like to see happen. I am far from short of ideas I just like to know what the readers want.
Terry strained to keep his focus on his rounds but couldn't. His thoughts kept returning to his mother and brother. He was discovered and that could mean trouble. They couldn't exactly keep Linda in the cave forever and murder was out of the question so what could they do if she didn't want to keep her mouth shut? Sure he could threaten her but what good would it do after she talked? The damage would be done by then. Damage to himself as well as his family. Sure his brother idolized his alterego but his mother was more wishy-washy on the subject of Batman. At times she was on his side but she was so quick to turn her back on the dark knight... What would she do when she found out her son had turned to vigilantism? And God he didn't even want to think about the media frenzy it would cause for them.
'Woah, Ter, Calm down. Who says she is gonna talk? One thing at a time....' He assured himself best he could. His concern for his future remained but he managed to keep it controlled as he circled the city.
"What are you going to do with me...?"
Bruce looked up to her as he finished cleaning her bloodied arm. "What exactly do you think we are going to do? We aren't going to hand you over to the police. We don't know wether or not you'll talk after all." He said darkly, noting the slightly indignant look on her face. "Even if you aren't going to talk, I don't feel I should turn you out until I know for certain you are keeping this under wraps."
"I know how to keep secrets!" She shouted in frusteration. "I kept my dads I can keep yours!"
"Oh really...?" Bruce asked, the ghost of a smile playing across his face for the first time in awhile.
".... I only said he had a secret... I didn't say what it is." She defended herself to the best of her ability. She lowered her head, not daring to look him in the eye.
Bruce continued to watch her, trying to figure out who she related to of the four young people he'd dealt with in his life. The fact she was a girl led to the obvious comparison with Barbara Gordon but that didn't seem to fit to well. All he had to do was know who her feelings were most like and he would be able to figure her out. Running through his memory it wasn't to hard to pin point the personality type of Tim Drake. The similer background made it painfully obvious to him. It also made it obvious that she would probobly be difficult to communicate with. His stomache knotted as he remembered once more the others who had come across his cave, especially the one he'd selected as most like her and his punishment for taking the mantle of Robin at the hands of the Joker.
"Bruce." Terry's voice crackled on the com-link, distracting him from his current worries. "How're things going back there?" His concern was evident. He knew every reason Terry would be worried. Family, friends and Bruce himself were his primary concerns. Not that Terry was entirely selfless, he just knew how precious the people you know in life truely are after he lost his father.
"Things are going fine." He replied, stepping away from Linda for some privacy. "Terry, do you remember what happened when you found the cave?" He asked grimly.
"How could I forget..." Terry muttered a sarcastic reply. "I became... Well you in a way." He said after a moment, realizing Bruce wanted a more specific answer.
"Do you realize thats been the pattern for the people who find this place?"
It took Terry a moment to realize what Bruce was talking about. "Bruce, Max broke the pattern, remember? She found out and she hasn't become Batgirl or anything like that."
"She keeps trying to get involved though." The older man reminded him in a dark tone. "Terry, once someone finds out something like this they either want to talk or get in on the action."
"They probobly wanted to get in because you always kept them close so they couldn't tell." Terry reasoned, trying to be logical about the latest crisis in his life as he flew through Gotham's sky.
"I'll talk to you when you get back, Terry." Bruce said in slight exhasperation. Talking to Terry through a com-link felt like talking to a brick wall at times. Sometimes he absolutely had to talk face to face with someone to really get what they were saying. Bruce was just glad that there was rarely an even that was so important that it did have to wait for Terry to get back.
"Hey, you didn't answer. I don't care about what you won't do about me, I care what you will do." Bruce turned to see Linda, still sitting on the table but now scowling. Bruce wasn't suprised to see this. He had a feeling that once she got over her innitial shock she would quickly slip into the attitude of any other kid from the slums.
"Just wait, Linda." Bruce said, allowing her imagination to run through the possibilities. As he went to the computer again, leaving Ace to gaurd her.
Hours later Linda was fighting a losing battle to stay awake when she heard the sound of engines. He was back. Sitting up, clutching the course, wool blanket Bruce had given her tightly she watched the black figure jump out of the jet. He pulled the mask back as he approached Bruce. Linda could only watch the two talk, not daring to try and listen in as Ace let out a low warning growl.
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Author's rant: I love reveiws really. I especially like when people tell me what they'd like to see happen. I am far from short of ideas I just like to know what the readers want.